Charms Of Music
Foreword
Sporting a cutting-edge Phillips chip PNX0102, E3, the latest mp3 player from Meizu, has been making a real splash among the fans ever since rumors of its release began to circulate. Once not more than a nobody, the Chinese manufacturer Meizu has become one of the heavyweights in the industry, and is now again taking
the lead as the first manufacturer in Mainland China to release a Phillips-chipped portable music player. A few years ago, the company won its spurs in the industry by releasing a couple of models equipping with a Sigmatel 3520 chip, which
was at that time the target of the attention of the public (just in case you are one of those with short memories). Nowadays players with a heart of 3520 have
become a dime a dozen in the market, and with their prices going down like the
devil, it is not surprising that Meizu decided to raise its sights and try developing players with a Phillips chip, which is supposed to be of better sound quality than all the competitors. The truth is, Meizu certainly made the right decision. Soon after the much-ballyhooed player hit the shelf, all media are inundated with reviews, most of which are favorable ones. Now what in the world makes
all these nitpicking reviewers pour accolades on this tiny little thing, which
after all is not more than one drop in the ocean of portable music players?
Actually E3 had had its ups and downs since a week after its debut, suffering from a few small but vital bugs. Thanks to the manufacturer’s quick reaction, though, most bugs had soon been cleared away.
Design and building quality.
About one month after its official release, a small box carrying an E3 player arrived at my doorstep. Despite the fact that I had so often heard of its slimness, I was nevertheless amazed at the device when it first caught my eye. Sure enough, it might not be the smallest player in the wide world, but is slim enough
to make girls scream and then fetch their pocketbooks, especially after they
feast their eyes on its brilliant OLED display.
Building quality is nearly flawless except that the part of battery cover looks
a little too different than the body. Otherwise you are hardly able to find any
part that is out of alignment. The entire shell is made of metal and it really
looks very robust. No need to worry here.
The design of the device still follows its predecessors, say, ME and E2, but smaller in size. Personally I am not a nit-picker on designs. I look more into its inner quality than its form factor; after all, I am no longer at the age to use it to catch girls’ attention.
The shadowy part, though, is that so small is the gadget that some users with beefy fingers may find it a little difficult to operate, with its 5-way button out
of control from time to time. It is no problem for me, though.
What comes with the box.
Meizu certainly seems to have put more thought to its accessories. This time Meizu seems to please all its E3 users like a ton of bricks with a few unique changes. The small USB key has a key-chain hole so that you can carry it everywhere
you go; the bag for carrying the device and the loop are of better handcraft quality. Most importantly, you find an exquisite case made of “cilia gel”! Now
that’s the best case I’ve ever seen and could think of.
Earphone-wise, Meizu again offers its “classical” PT650. Personally I agree that its sound quality is as good as that between MX300 and MX400 from Sennheiser
. Good enough for the majority, I say. Of course a decent replacement is needed if you want better sound quality, and it works!
The firmware system.
What really excites me is its new operating system. Meizu has long been well known for its frequency in releasing new firmwares. I think this is part of what
makes a good, responsible manufacturer. They certainly seem to have made a lot
of changed to the old version, and most of the changes are really…ingenious. In my view the word “ingenious” is stronger in meaning than “brilliant”. The
long-desired bookmarks for music are added; so are a clock with sleep function
and alarm function, ways of changing the collocation of files, a “favorite” folder, the possibility to pick up your favorite EQ’s, a new AB repeat mode, etc.
They even added a calculator and a couple of games. A calculator may come in
handy when you are out in a supermarket or shopping mall, you know, and it isn’
t too much trouble to handle the operation.
On the other hand, compared to the old versions, the new version of the system takes far less time to turn on the player and broadcast music. The menu reacts more quickly and smoothly. In short, it works well and is more intuitive, with most parts of the menu being more self-explanatory.
Sound quality.
Having written reviews for digital portable music players for so many times, I still find this part the most difficult one. There isn’t any specific standards
to this part, anyway, and it is too subjective a topic. What sounds heavenly to one person may sound harsh to another, and vise versa. So, let us not stick to this part splitting hairs and let me cut to the chase.
With its latest version of the firmware, 2.009, E3 performs as good as any decent players I have ever listened to, including the well-acknowledged top players such as iRivers, and somewhat better than most average players and all its 3520-chipped cousins, especially when it comes to bass area and the degree of crispness of the sound.
Voice recording, FM receiver and battery life.
There isn’t much to say about these three aspects. FM receiver works very well
for me. Steady and clear. Good enough. For the voice recording part, though,
to give you an idea, it works, but not as good as you would expect. I firmly believe this is the part that goes a lot behind that of players from Korea. I sure hope Meizu would take my comments seriously and give us customers a nice shock in this aspect next time with their new generation products.
According to some prestigious reviews from imp3.net, E3 plays 12 hours and 28 minutes at a time with only one AAA battery. I wonder if I could ask for more of
this small spirit.
Verdict.
Phillips PNX0102 didn’t let down the most discriminating critics, nor did Meizu
. With its slim figure, radiant OLED display, decent building quality and sound
quality and even its stylish accessories, E3 sure makes itself a good buy among
all its competitors far and near. Meizu even made it a real bargain before National Day of the country by cutting a lot down the prices of all its product line. E3 doesn’t show off a color display, but given the fact that mp3 players are mostly for music appreciation, you hardly need that kind of display if you ask
me.
For those who are struggling with English (any language actually) learning, an mp3 player with AB repeat function will go a long way toward your practice of listening comprehension. I myself am an enthusiastic English learner, so it’s straight from the horse’s mouth here. If you happen to be a music lover in the meanwhile, what I recommended above may be worth your attention.
For further information (and pictures), please go to:
http://publish.it168.com/2005/0928/20050928023401.shtml?positioncode=1812
Panpanpan.